


17 Kisses |Klance|

by inkspottedandbrokenhearted



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 17 kisses, Ficlets, Fluff, KeithxLance, Kisses, M/M, These two love each other, Voltron, fics, hints of more, klance, klance fluff, klance kisses, one shots, vld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:51:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 10,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15752025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkspottedandbrokenhearted/pseuds/inkspottedandbrokenhearted
Summary: There's a million different types of kisses in the world. Here we discover 17 of them.Or:17 ways Keith and Lance kiss each other. From sitting on the roof watching the sunset to under a waterfall on a planet on the other side of the universe. No matter where they are, they always find each other.





	1. Nose Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

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> 
> I love hearing from you guys and getting to know you so always feel totally free to reach out to me there!

     Keith was from Texas so cold was something he had very little experience with. And snow? Well, he had exactly zero experience with that. Seeing it for the first time was something special for him. It was a beautiful sight, the way the untouched snow made the planet look so serene. It glistened in the light and made the branches of the trees look fuller, giving the whole area a mystical vibe. For the first time he was really able to understand the phrase “Winter Wonderland.”

     He took a step tentatively into the snow, surprised at how far his foot sunk down before he was able to gain purchase. He carefully took another step forward and another and another until he was in the middle of the trees and no longer alongside the castle. He looked up in wonder at the boughs of the trees and the way they bent elegantly under the weight of the snow but didn’t break.

     As he continued walking, a small breeze blew through, knocking some of the snow off the branches and dumping it on Keith’s head. It was colder than he expected, which he found surprising. To guard against that happening again, he pulled the hood of Lance’s jacket over his head and pulled the drawstrings, securing it. Allura had managed to pull a few coats out of storage in the castle but they were awkward fitting at best. Lance being tall and lanky fit in them best (although still not well) so he had taken one of the jackets and offered Keith his jacket to wear over Keith’s own jacket. It was bulky, but he couldn’t deny that he was warm.

     “Keith!” He turned at the sound of his name to see Lance sludging over to him, moving fluidly through the snow. Keith didn’t know if Lance had ever encountered snow before but he wouldn’t be surprised either way. Lance was naturally graceful and would have no problem adjusting to a new element like this. “What do you think?”

     “It’s beautiful,” he said as Lance reached him. His breath puffed out in front of him like smoke before scattering to the wind.

     Lance looked around them, eyes alight with mystery and wonder. “Yeah,” he said quietly, “it sure is.” He turned his attention back to Keith then, a grin breaking out across his face.

     “What?”

     “It’s just--” Lance shook his head as if he were trying to get rid of the smile but it didn’t budge. “You just look really cute all bundled up. I can only see your nose!”

     Keith crossed his arms over his chest, turning his head to the side indignantly, mumbling something about the cold.

     “I like it,” Lance laughed, leaning closer to him. “But I promised I’d help Coran unpack,” he said before giving Keith’s nose a small peck and taking off.

     Suddenly Keith was warmed from the inside out and the world looked even more magical.


	2. Top of the Head

     It had been Hunk’s turn to choose the movie. Honestly, Keith didn’t care at all about the movie, he never did. He cared about spending time with his team and seeing them happy. He also cared about the fact that it gave him a chance to splay out on the couch with Lance, tangled up together under a blanket. The others usually filled the chairs and couches closest to the tv while the two of them took the couch furthest away so they could lay down together.

     Keith was on his back on the couch, head turned to the right so he could see the movie, even if he didn't care much about it. Lance was pressed to his left side, snuggled tightly between his body and the back of the couch, his head resting comfortably at the junction of his shoulder. They had a blanket thrown loosely over them but it was wonky. Lance’s arm was on top of the blanket, bent so that his hand was under his head for added comfort, the rest of his arm warm across Keith’s chest.

     The first time they had done this, Keith had been a little nervous. He would never admit it out loud to anyone, not even Lance (but Lance wouldn’t make him admit it out loud because he already knows), but he was afraid the others would judge them. They hadn’t, of course, and he felt bad for not believing in them.

     “Keith?” Lance’s voice was weak and Keith could hear the sleepiness in it.

     “Mm?” He asked, even though he knew what the answer was gonna be,

     “Wake me up when it’s over?” Lance readjusted his position, scooting his body closer to Keith. “And tell me the plot so I can pretend I watched it?”

     Keith turned towards his boyfriend and pressed an affectionate kiss to the top of his head. “You got it,” he murmured, smiling, and giving his his head one more kiss and turning back to the movie.


	3. Post Battle

     “Duck!” Keith cries

     Lance ducks without hesitation. Keith swings around, his sword flying just over Lance’s head and into the robot that had been attacking him. Lance, for his part, manages to shoot three approaching robots while Keith is preoccupied. They shift after, Lance standing back up, so they are pressed back-to-back.

     “Alright,” Keith says, taking a step to his left. Lance responds by taking a step to his own left so their backs stay together. “You get who you can from a distance and I’ll take on anyone you can’t get to.”

     “Heh, don’t expect to have anything to do then,” Lance replies with a grin, lifting his gun up to his eye. The two of them spin in a circle, their backs pressed to each other as Lance shoots, shot after shot, at the robots that are ambushing him. Despite his boasting, there are simply too many for him to handle at once. Luckily, Keith lives up to his end of the deal and takes care of any of them that sneak past Lance’s shots.

     They continue on this for what feels like ever. Lance is starting to get dizzy and he can hear Keith panting behind him. He notices the way Keith’s resting stance now includes the tip of his blade against the ground instead of high in the air. There’s only so much more they can take before they’re out of energy completely.

     “Hang in there,” Lance says, leaning back slightly to put reassuring weight on Keith.

     “Worry about yourself,” Keith says in response and Lance smiles.

     “If I only did that, you wouldn’t be here anymore!”

     “Oh yeah?” Keith’s blade swings out wide as he arcs around Lance, deflecting an attack that Lance hadn’t noticed because he was too busy looking into the distance. “You were saying?”

     They break apart then, Keith taking off to the other side of the room, thinning the horde around Lance. Lance does his best to fight off the robots closing in on him, all the while keeping his eye on Keith and making a well timed shot here or there to give Keith the advantage. 

     “Nice one!” Keith yells as Lance makes a perfect shot. A moment later, the robots drop to the ground. Suddenly Keith’s voice is in the coms instead, “It’s about time, Pidge. We were drowning out here.”

     “We were fine,” Lance contradicts, “Nothing a sharpshooter can’t handle.”

     From across the room Keith shoots him a look but it’s more amused than anything else. Lance watches as Keith’s blade retracts, disappearing back into his bayard. A moment later, the bayard itself disappears. Finally Lance allows himself to step out of his fighting stance and his bayard follows Keith’s disappearing into thin air.

     “Thanks for having my back.” Lance pulls his helmet off his head, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.

     Keith crosses the room, stopping back at Lance’s side. He removes his own helmet and Lance smiles at how wild his hair looks. “Nice shooting,” he says before leaning in and capturing Lance’s lips.

     These were perhaps Lance’s favorite kisses. He loved all of them, of course, but he loved these the most. They were always full of adrenaline and a certain gratefulness to be alive. And they always came after the two of them worked as a team. Keith pulls away but Lance catches the back of his neck, drawing him in again. After all, it should be a few more minutes before the others get here.


	4. Sunset

     It was interesting to think that the sun had continued setting each day, gloriously, no matter what. Lance had been on the other side of the universe risking his life and the sun remained moving steadily about it’s routine as if nothing were out of the ordinary. It offered Lance some sort of comfort--the idea that things could go back to normal after everything that had happened.

     He had watched many a sunset from the rooftop of his family home, it had always been one of his favorite things to do. It had always been a personal thing, too. Even though his family was always there, he never invited anybody to sit on the roof with him and they never pried. It was usually his time to think about life, reflect on the day and just unwind.

     Sitting on the roof now, Keith tucked snugly under his arm with his head on Lance’s shoulder made him wonder how he ever could have been satisfied before. He had watched many a sunset from this rooftop and yet, not one had ever been this beautiful. The yellow from the sun bled out, fading into soft oranges and pinks until it eventually met up with the darkness of the night sky. The soft colors were stunning, no doubt, but they weren’t what made this such a special occasion.

     “I like to picture little you sitting up here,” Keith said, his voice hushed. The moment was intimate and his quiet tone only made it more intimate. Lance had to lean closer to him to be able to hear his words clearly. Not that he minded. He would always take an excuse to be closer to Keith. “Looking at the sky and just thinking about your life.”

     “I used to do exactly that,” Lance replies just as quietly, turning his head so he can see the soft smile on Keith’s lips. “Have I told you that before?”

     “No, I just know you.”

     Those words fill Lance’s heart with an emotion as soft as the sunset. There’s a comfortable warmth in the pit of his stomach, making him feel like he’s exactly where he is supposed to be. He lets his own small smile grace his lips, “Yeah, you really do.”

     Keith pulls away then--not far, but far enough that he can angle his body so they’re facing each other. The small smile is still on is lips and it’s so  _ fond _ it makes Lance feel like his heart might burst right then and there. He lifts a hand and places it on Keith’s cheek, tracing his thumb along the scar that resided there. Keith closed his eyes and leant his head into Lance’s palm.

     There was a time where Keith would never have done this. He never would have been open and honest and vulnerable. There was a time when Lance never would’ve believed that he could win Keith’s heart, no matter how much he wanted to. But somehow, somewhere along the lines he did exactly that. And now he got to enjoy these tender moments with Keith and nothing could make him happier. 

     As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, the colors fading to a softer pastel, Lance pulled Keith’s face forward and met him in the middle in a tender kiss. He wondered, as their lips met, how he ever could have enjoyed a sunset before this. But as they separated, he knew it didn’t matter, because he would never have to watch a sunset alone again.


	5. Rain Kiss

     One of the things Lance had missed most about Earth was the rain. He loved the way it sounded on the roof of the house as he tried to fall asleep, loved the way it felt, cascading down his back. It had always felt as if the rain were washing him clean. He was beyond thrilled when it rained on their first day back on Earth.

     He was up later than the others, standing just outside the main building of the garrison, his eyes closed as he lifted his face up to the sky. It was a summer rain--warm and relaxing as it beat gently against him. He can hear the rain hitting the roof, hear it hitting the ground, and for the first time in what has to be years, he feels at ease. He takes a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the damp Earth and things, for once, he’s  _ home _ .

     Arms slip around his waist from behind before a warm chest presses against his wet back and a head settles on his shoulder. He raises his arms to lay them overtop of Keith’s tangling their fingers together against his stomach. Keith doesn’t say anything, he just leans into Lance and enjoys the rain. That was one of the things Lance loved the most about Keith--he was comfortable letting them just be in silence.

     A lot of the time Lance wanted to talk--and Keith would always listen--but sometimes he just wanted to enjoy a moment in silence. To take the time to commit it to memory. Most people wouldn’t let that happen, interrupting his silence constantly with questions. But not Keith. Keith leant his head to the side, resting it against Lance’s and waited. He waited until Lance was done memorizing exactly how he felt. He let Lance decide when the silence was to be broken.

     Finally he was ready. He untangled their fingers and turned within the circle of Keith’s arms so that they were face to face. Keith’s wet hair hung across his face, dripping, and it was a look Lance loved. Even in the rain, his hair tried to curl around the ears and at the base of his neck and it was stupidly endearing. 

     “Hey,” He breathed.

     Keith didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he took one of his hands off of Lance’s waist and used it to grab his chin, pulling his face forward until they were kissing. His kiss was fierce but tender. Keith was bad with words, but he had emotions--he just often struggled to express them. But when he kissed Lance, his lips soft, the message was clear. It was obvious in the way his hand splayed out across the small of Lance’s back, drawing his body closer. It was in the way he was gentle with Lance, his hand brushing tenderly across his cheek. It was everywhere.

     Keith’s every action with Lance screamed what he was trying to say. But still, as he pulled away for a quick breath, he took a moment to whisper, “I love you,” before diving right back in.


	6. Sleepy Kiss

     Being a member of Voltron was a full time job with no vacations. It often required them running on little to no sleep and it didn’t take long for that to catch up to them. Lance was tired--physically, mentally and emotionally. He felt like his body was only a second away from collapsing. And yet, this time he finally had to sleep was also the first time he had to spend alone with Keith in nearly a week.

     “Hey,” He dropped down onto Keith’s bed, his head settling into his pillow. It was still weird--pleasantly so--for him to think that he had his own pillow in Keith’s bed. 

     Keith flopped down next to him, slipping an arm under the pillow and around Lance’s shoulders. “Can you believe we finally have some time?”

     “Don’t jinx it,” Lance laughs weakly, his eyes already feeling heavy. “I’m sure Allura can come up with something else for us to do.”

     The edges of Keith’s mouth turn up in a smile but Lance can see the way it’s duller than his normal ones. The exhaustion was wearing on all of them and it was showing. Everyone was moving more sluggishly and taking longer to come up with solutions to their problems. “You’re probably right.”

     Lance realizes suddenly that his eyes had fallen closed. He forces them open only to see that Keith is laying on his side, facing Lance, with his own eyes shut. Carefully Lance scoots closer so their faces are lined up with each other. “Keith,” he whispers.

     Keith stirs and then slowly blinks his eyes open, smiling at how close together they are. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, his words slurring together slightly. “I’m just… tired.” He yawns, his words barely making it past his lips.

     A small smile works its way onto Lance’s lips. It was true that they had spent almost no time together just the two of them in the last week, and he wanted to spend time with Keith. But he was perfectly content for this to be the way they spent their time together. They had never been those people who needed to constantly be out doing things, all they wanted was the company of each other. So Lance leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to Keith’s. Keith responded, slowly raising his other arm to put it on the side of Lance’s face. They fell asleep shortly after, Keith’s hand still on Lance’s face and their lips just barely brushing.


	7. Falling On Each Other

Keith was standing in the cockpit of the Red Lion, his hands braced on the back of the pilot's chair. Lance sat in the chair, hands on the controls but not in his gear. It was supposed to be just the two of them out for a casual night fly, enjoying the universe. But, well, things never really went as planned. 

 

A single Galra ship had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and it had them in its sights.Red responded with grace. He twirled in the air, arcing above the Galra ship and just dodging the shots that were being fired at them. Lance moved quickly, pressing buttons and flipping switches and he made it look so easy. 

 

Even though Keith knew how to pilot the Lions--knew how to pilot the Red lion, specifically--he was impressed by Lance's skill. He held on tight to the back of the chair as Red turned sideways, throwing him off balance. His feet slid away from him but he managed to stop from falling over.  

 

“Get out your mouth blade,” Keith said, still clinging tightly to the chair.

 

“Hey, no back seat piloting,” Lance said, but he did what Keith said anyways. 

 

Keith looked out the window as Lance piloted, trying to see where the Galra ship had come from. There were no other ships, no main ship, nothing else. It was likely just a Galra patrol ship that they just happened to wander upon. That meant that it should be over relatively easily.

 

He could feel the energy of the Red Lion humming around him and it was a comforting and familiar feeling. He could feel the way Red was talking to Lance, cooperating with Lance, and it made him smile. Red had chosen Lance when he was at his lowest point and Keith was glad. When he took over the Black Lion and became the head of Voltron, there was no question in his mind that Lance needed to take over Red. Lance needed to be his right hand, nobody else could do it. He couldn’t work with anyone the way he worked with Lance.

 

“Here we go!” Lance said, thrusting the controls forward. Red turned on a dime, charging towards the Galra ship. It didn’t have enough time to dodge before Red sunk his claws in, dragging his mouth blade along the length of the ship. They disengaged a moment after and took off in the other direction.

 

Keith let go of the back of the chair finally, stepping around to stand next to Lance and the controls. “Good work,” he said, smiling down at Lance.

 

Lance opened his mouth to say something back when the Galra ship exploded. They were closer than they had anticipated and the ship sent Red rocking through space. Keith, who was unprepared and not holding on to anything, went pitching to his side, stumbling around until he fell square into Lance’s lap in the pilot’s chair.

 

“Well,” Lance said, grinning down at Keith in his lap once Red stabilized again. His arms were wrapped around Keith, holding him firmly in place. “This isn’t exactly how I was planning on getting you here, but I’m not complaining.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, “Either kiss me or let me go.”

 

Lance huffed out a laugh, his breath soft on Keith’s neck. He trailed a series of kisses up his neck, across his jaw and cheek and eventually settled on his lips, his grip tightening on Keith. After all, Red had autopilot.


	8. Giggly

Sometimes stress took strange forms, Lance knew. The strangest he had ever seen was the one he was in currently, seated on the ground with Keith next to him, dissolved into a fit of laughter. Lance wasn't sure what he had done to startle the laugh out of him, but he didn't care. And once Keith started laughing, he couldn't stop.

 

Lance watched in awe as Keith tried to stifle his giggles-to no avail- with his hand. It was probably the cutest thing Lance had ever seen in his life he was touched. Keith, notoriously aloof, emotionless Keith was sitting in his room, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. If that didn’t speak volumes about how much he valued and trusted Lance, nothing would.

 

Struck by the tender emotions filling his chest, Lance reached out and captured Keith's face, pulling him in for a kiss. He could feel Keith's smile against his lips and added it to the list. His list of favorite things was rapidly growing. Whenever he spent time with Keith, the boy would inevitably do something that left Lance a pile of goo on the floor. The more he learned about Keith, the more reasons he had to take on absolutely anything in the universe that ever threatened him.

 

“I love your laugh,” Lance said as he pulled away. Keith shook his head but there was nothing he could ever do to change Lance's mind.

 

Undeterred, Lance nuzzled his head into the crook of Keith's shoulder, pressing a kiss there. Normally Keith would make a small noise of appreciation and run a hand down Lance's back. This time, however, he was in a mood. A giggly mood. So as Lance pressed kisses along the expanse of his shoulder, Keith squirmed underneath him.

 

"Does this- does this _tickle_?”

 

“ _No_ ,” Keith replied but it was hopeless. He couldn't sit still and Lance could see the way he was biting his lip to suppress another laugh.

 

“No?” Lance drew his nose gently up along Keith's neck before planting a few soft kisses along his jawline. “Are you sure?”

 

Another giggle escaped then, and Keith lost his composure. He squirmed under Lance, trying to gain enough grip to push him away. “S-stop it!”

 

Lance pulled away, an exaggerated pout on his lips. “You don't want my kisses?”

 

A groan was all he got in response.

 

With a smile, he resumed pressing kisses to a ticklish Keith, committing every moment to his memory because he wasn't sure he could ever be any happier.


	9. Wall

Sneaking into a base was always easier said than done. Especially when their plan was to just walk through the front door. There was a myriad of things that could go wrong and most of the time all of them went wrong. 

 

Lance was leaning against the wall, Keith standing in front of him. They were in their street clothes instead of their paladin armor as an attempt to fit in better. Lance had to admit it was nice to see Keith in street clothes again, he had always liked that jacket. 

 

“You've got two people headed your way,” Pidge’s voice crackled through the well disguised headsets they wore. “Should be there any second, so look busy!”

 

Keith, taking his cue, stepped forward and pressed Lance firmly into the wall, their bodies melding together. He barely choked out “ _ what are you-”  _ before Keith's lips were covering his own. 

 

This was distinctly not what they had planned, but Lance didn't care. They were already committed to this now; he could hear the footsteps creeping closer to them. So, he hooked his fingers through Keith's belt loops and gave a strong  _ tug _ , eliminating the space between them entirely. He could feel Keith's smile against his lips in response. But he wasn't done. 

 

He ran his hands up Keith's torso, sliding them under his jacket and around his back, successfully pushing the jacket off his shoulders. Keith, rising to the challenge, slipped his own hands under the hem of Lance's shirt, his hands warm against Lance's skin. He grabbed Lance firmly by the hips, his thumb resting on each hip bone and pressed into Lance. 

 

“Two can play this game,” Keith breathed into his ear after pulling away. 

 

Over Keith's shoulder, Lance could see the Galra who were approaching. They were only a few steps now. Quickly he buried his head in Keith's neck so they wouldn't be able to see his face, “Oh yeah?” he challenged. 

 

Keith responded quickly, collecting both of Lance's wrists in one hand and slamming them against the wall over his head. He kissed Lance before he could make a startled noise and used that opportunity to slip his tongue into Lance's mouth. Lance was thoroughly preoccupied but Keith wasn't. He slipped his other hand back under Lance's shirt and slid it around until it rested on the small of Lance's back, fingers dipping just into waistband of his pants. He used that hand to hold Lance firm as he ground his own hips forward. Lance nearly fainted. 

 

A door slammed shut next to them and Keith pulled away all at once. Suddenly Lance went from total stimulation to no stimulation. He felt lightheaded and unmoored. 

 

“Wait, come back.”

 

“Sorry, got a mission to finish. You coming or not?” Keith smirked at him, gesturing towards the door that was now unlocked.  


 

Lance pushed off the wall and began to follow Keith, grumbling “I'm going to get you back for that later.”

 

Keith shot him a grin over his shoulder, “God, I hope so.”


	10. Awkward First Kiss

Being home had been great, but it wasn’t the light-hearted break Lance had hoped it would be. It was still a lot of work, missions and injuries. But still, being able to go home at the end of the day to his family sitting around the table and a home cooked meal made everything better.

 

“I’m home,” He called, walking through the door and shrugging his jacket off.

 

There was more commotion than normal in the house. He could hear the voices of his family talking animatedly from the kitchen, so he followed their voices. He walked through the doorway of the kitchen to find his mom cooking at the stove and Veronica leaning against the counter talking to…

 

“Keith?”

 

The dark haired boy looked up, “Lance, I-”

 

“I invited him over for dinner,” Veronica chimed in, pushing off the counter and walking over to him. The look on her face suggested that she didn’t  _ invite _ Keith as much as she  _ pressured _ him into coming over, But Lance couldn’t be sure. Keith was kind and Lance couldn’t imagine him saying no if she did ask. “Welcome home,  _ Lancey. _ ”

 

“Thanks,  _ Ronnie _ .” He said, shouldering past his sister. “What’s for dinner?”

 

He had asked just in time, it seemed. His mom spun from the stove with a stack of dishes in her arms, passing them along to him. “We’re having something simple,” she said. “Lasagna and your favorite garlic knots.”

 

Lance took the dishes carefully and maneuvered skillfully around the counter and to the table. As he passed Keith, he commented, “You’re in for a treat! Mom’s garlic knots are the best!”

 

Keith stood from his chair, clumsily moving to help Lance set the table. It took a few tries but they eventually set a system in place of Lance handed the dishes and silverware to Keith, and Keith assembling them on the table. It was unbelievably endearing for Lance to watch Keith interact with his family. Keith was so eager to help, standing by his mother’s side once the table was set.

 

Finally the food was done and they assembled around the table with Lance’s whole family: brothers, sisters, niece, nephew and parents. The table was crowded and loud but it felt like home to Lance. He smiled and looked over at Keith who looked somewhere between really happy and really out of his element.

 

“You okay?” Lance asked. He spoke at a normal volume but still he wasn’t sure Keith could hear him. His brothers were so loud.

 

Keith looked at him with a soft expression on his face, “I’ve never experienced something like this,” He said and Lance felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

 

Family was everything to Lance. He would do anything to be able to continue having nights like this and he couldn’t imagine a life where he never got to experience it. “Well you’re welcome here anytime,” Lance said and then laughed. “You get the better end. Family when you want one, but you get to leave when they start getting annoying.”

 

Keith laughed and started to say something but Veronica, who had been watching them from across the table, cut in. “Keith, you look so familiar to me. You went to the Garrison before… all of this?”

 

“Uh, yeah. I was in Lance’s class.” Keith answered.

 

Lance watched as the dots lined up in Veronica’s mind. He shot her a harsh look, imploring her not to say what he knew was on the tip of her tongue. She met his eyes and then said it anyways. “ _ That’s _ what I’m thinking of. I knew you were familiar. Little Lancey here used to talk about you  _ all the time! _ ”

 

“Oh yeah?” Keith had that teasing grin that Lance knew so well. He would’ve been fine with it if this were only going to be a conversation about their rivalry, but he knew Veronica. 

 

“Yeah!” Lance interjected, his voice too loud. “You know, Keith and Lance, neck in neck!”

 

“ _ Oh _ ,” His other sister joined in, “This is  _ that _ Keith?”

 

“Don’t you just remember the things he used to say?” Veronica jumped back in, smiling directly in Lance’s face.

 

“Veronica--” Lance started, but she was not to be deterred.

 

“He’s so  _ cool _ .” She mimicked his voice, pretending to be younger Lance. “I wish I could be like him. Ronnie, I--”

 

“ _ Veronica!” _

 

“I think I like him.” She finished, a triumphant smile on her face.

 

“Ah, I remember. It was his first and only crush,” His mom laughed fondly.

 

Lance had his head resting miserably in his hands. “You too, mom?” He didn’t dare lift his head to look at Keith. It was already a miracle that Keith hadn’t stood up and run out the door already. A silence fell across the table and Lance’s cheeks were burning so badly he couldn’t take it. Finally he slammed his fists on the table, stood up and headed towards the front door. “I hope you’re happy, Ronnie.”

 

The air was cool against Lance’s flaming cheeks. He stormed down the steps and few feet away before realizing he never heard the screen door shut behind him. Tentatively he looked over his shoulder to see Keith on the front porch, propping the door open and staring at him.

 

“Just go,” Lance said miserably. 

 

Keith shook his head. He slowly descended the stairs and walked across the front yard until he was right in front of Lance. So close, in fact, that Lance, who was staring steadfastly at the ground, could see the ways their toes were almost touching. “So you used to have a crush on me,” Keith said and Lance flinched. “It’s not a big deal.”

 

“It is,”

 

“No,” Keith said firmly. “I think it’s cute. In fact, I wish--” he clamped his mouth shut.

 

Intrigued, Lance looked up at him finally. “You wish what?”

 

“Nothing. I don’t know. I don’t know what I was going to say.”

 

“You wish… I still had a crush on you?” He ventured. Keith looked away but didn’t contradict. “Because… I do.”

 

Keith’s eyes snapped back to him then. “You do?”

 

Everything from the last few years of his life came crashing down around him. “Of course I do! How could I not? After everything we’ve been through, we’ve--mmph!”

 

Keith grabbed Lance’s face and pulled him into a kiss mid-sentence. It was harder than it needed to be and their teeth clashed together while their noses bumped uncomfortably. Lance choked on his words but didn’t even care. They took a second to readjust, Lance closing the gap between their bodies entirely and suddenly it was okay.

 

Okay, at least, until he pulled away to see his entire family staring at them through the screen door. Keith followed his gaze and his face went red. 

 

“Can you guys, like,  _ go away? _ ” Lance yelled over Keith’s shoulder.

 

“Are you guys gonna kiss again?” Veronica called back teasingly.

 

“Ronnie, for the love of god, just this  _ once-- _ ”

 

His mom shooed everyone away from the door, closing the wooden door between them so they had some privacy.

 

“I’m sorry about my family,” Lance said.

 

“Don’t be, they’re amazing.”

 

“Yeah, well, they like to meddle.”

 

“Yeah, I noticed,” Keith said, but his smile was fond. “And I’m grateful for it.”


	11. Forehead

Lance had come to terms with the fact that he needed Keith in his life. He had also come to terms with the fact that the universe needed him just as much, unfortunately. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that sometimes, that meant splitting them up.

 

“You can help us here,” He pouted.

 

Keith sighed, “We’ve talked about this.”

 

“No,  _ you’ve _ talked about this. You never heard what I had to say.”

 

“You weren’t going to say anything helpful!” Keith threw his arms out to the side in exasperation the way he often did. “You were just going to say that you’ll miss me.”

 

“I  _ will _ miss you! That should count for something!”

 

“Missing me doesn’t outweigh saving lives.”

 

Lance crossed his arms over his chest, huffing. Keith rolled his eyes but a fond smile still found its way to his lips. He reached out then, taking Lance’s hands into his own. Lance looked back at him, ignoring how strange he looked in his Blade armor. He didn’t look bad--quite the opposite, actually. But Lance didn’t like what the armor stood for or the way it meant they were going to be apart.

 

“It’s only a few days,” Keith tried.

 

Lance frowned. “I can’t sleep without you, you know that.”

 

“Lance,” Keith was clearly exasperated, “I’m going to go and we both know that. Can you not make it so hard to leave?”

 

Lance frowned.

 

The doors to their right opened and Kolivan walked through, signaling that it was time to leave. Lance averted his eyes.

 

Keith took his hands back, reaching up to grab Lance’s face and tilt it down. He pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead. “It’s only a few days. I’m going to miss you too, okay? And I’m going to come back to you, Lance, I promise.”

 

He pressed another kiss to Lance’s forehead before disappearing out the door.


	12. Desperate, Almost Died

Keith was gasping for air. His lungs burned and his breaths were small and feeble, barely getting enough in. His vision was swimming in front of him and he blinked furiously to try and get things to settle back into place. 

 

“Defeated so easily?” He could hear the voice but couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

 

Suddenly there was a shattering of glass that startled Keith. He sat upright, a hand pressing to his head. He could hear footsteps hurrying across the room before stopping in front of him. “Stay away from him.”

 

It was… Lance’s voice?

 

Carefully, Keith turned his head to look in the direction of the voice Sure enough, there Lance was, standing in between him and the Druid, bayard raised. “Don’t touch him.”

 

Keith was fading in and out of consciousness. He couldn’t make out everything that was happening but there was a lot of yelling. Occasionally he would feel hands on him, dragging him one direction or the other. He briefly registered that it was Lance, doing his best to keep him out of danger. His mind was feeling sluggish, thoughts taking longer to process, but he was able to eventually get through his head that he should be moving on his own.

 

Carefully he flipped over onto his stomach, hauling himself across the ground by his forearms. The going was slow, but he was going. It gave Lance the chance he needed to finish the fight and he managed to do so just before Keith ran completely out of energy. The druid hit the ground with a thump, but Lance was already halfway across the room to Keith.

 

Silence filled the room and it made Keith feel oddly like he was floating. He closed his eyes, feeling his heart rate slow. Suddenly he was so  _ tired. _

 

“Keith, buddy, open your eyes!” Lance’s voice was frantic and Keith tried to oblige. He peeled his eyes open slowly and could start to make out the scene in front of him. “Yes!” Lance yelled to him, “Good, keep them open. Keep your eyes on me.”

 

“But, ‘m tired,” He mumbled.

 

“I know,” Lance crouched down in front of him briefly, “But you can’t sleep, okay? Not yet. You can sleep all you want later.”

 

Keith looked up into Lance’s face and briefly wondered why he looked so concerned. “Is it… cold?” He asked, his gaze sliding languidly around the room.

 

Lance cursed under his breath. He reached for Keith, his hands feeling like flames against Keith’s cold skin. There were tears on Lance’s cheeks, dripping onto Keith. “C’mere, I’ll keep you warm. Just talk to me, okay?”

 

“What should I… talk about?” The words felt thick in his mouth, like they didn’t want to come out. 

 

Lance moved him carefully, cradling him in his lap. “Just tell me what you’re thinking about,” he said through his tears.

 

“You’re cradling me,” Keith said, his eyes slipping shut again. “Like I cradled you. But you don’t remember that.”

 

“I do,” Lance leaned down and pressed his forehead against Keith’s, “I do remember that.”

 

“You do?”

 

“Open your eyes,” Lance murmured, placing a warm hand on Keith’s cheek. “Look at me, let me see those beautiful eyes.”

 

With more effort than he expected, Keith blinked his eyes open again. “You remember?”

 

“Yes,” Lance breathed, “I remember. I’ve always remembered. I just couldn’t bring myself to admit it because it meant something special to me and I was afraid it didn’t mean anything to you.”

 

“It meant everything to me,”

 

“I’m sorry.” This time it was Lance who closed his eyes, “I’m sorry for pretending I didn’t remember, I should have told you.”

 

“It’s fitting, then. You cradling me as I die.”

 

Lance was sobbing fully then, gripping at Keith’s cheek. The tears were dripping onto his face, but he could barely feel them. Mostly, he just felt the sleepiness overcoming him again. Maybe death wasn’t so scary. “Don’t say that,” Lance pleaded, “You aren’t going to die, I won’t let you.”

 

“Lance,”

 

“No!” Lance pulled away, looking down at him with a ferocity that seemed to wake Keith up slightly. “No, I didn’t go through all of this to lose you, do you hear me? I didn’t spend  _ years _ chasing you only to lose you as soon as I’m catching you! We have so much left to do together! You can’t die now,  _ you can’t _ .”

 

“Lance,” Keith breathed again. The burning in his lungs had dulled, but breathing was still difficult. The coldness had faded, but he couldn’t feel much of anything in his fingers or toes anymore. It was only a matter of time, it was now or never. “I can’t die without telling you that I love you. I’ve loved you the entire quiznaking time.”

 

Another sob ripped through Lance, his hand fisting in Keith’s shirt. “I love you too, you idiot! That’s why you can’t die! You can’t say something like that and just  _ die _ . You have to face the consequences!”

 

A weak laugh broke through Keith’s lips. “Consequences? You make love sound terrible.”

 

“Guess you have to live and find out,” Lance sniffled.

 

Keith didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything. Lance had his head pressed into Keith’s chest as he cried. The pressure was strong, but it didn’t hurt. In a way it felt good to have Lance mourning his loss, even if he felt bad for leaving him.

 

“If I could, I would,” He said after a minute, “I’d live to fight with you a million more times. I’d live to kiss you and to hold you and to deal with every consequence you throw my way. It’s not like I want to die, you know.”

 

“Then don’t!” Lance yelled, even though they both knew it was a ridiculous request. There was nothing Keith could do.

 

He reached a hand down to gently lift Lance’s head off his chest and guide it up to his face. Lance, understanding what was happening, leaned down and pressed their lips together. It was wet from Lance’s tears, but Keith couldn’t bring himself to care. He had spent years wondering what this felt like and it felt even better than he imagined.

 

Lance pulled away suddenly, his head flying around. Keith followed his gaze to a door on the other side of the room that had just opened to reveal the rest of the gang. Allura rushed to his side, dropping down to her knees and immediately holding her hands over him.

 

“I think I can keep him stable until we can get him onto the ship,” She said with no preamble, “but you’ll have to carry him, Lance. Can you do that?”

 

“Of course,” Lance sprung into action, standing up and lifting Keith into his arms Keith’s head lolled to the side, resting against Lance’s chest. They started walking, Allura keeping tight to their side with her hands hovering over him, exuding a slight warmth. Keith closed his eyes for the trip, not having the energy to do anything else.

 

“Keith! Keith!” He jolted what felt like only seconds later to find himself inside the castle of Lions, Lance’s panicked face directly in front of him. “I told you that you couldn’t sleep yet!”

 

“But ‘m so tired.”

 

“I know, you get to sleep in a minute. Just another minute, okay? Allura is getting the pod ready for you. You’re going to be okay, do you hear me?” His voice was urgent. Keith looked up into his eyes. “You’re going to be okay and you’re going to wake up and tell me again that you love me, okay? And then I’m going to make you the happiest you’ve ever been and we’re going to live happily ever after.”

 

“That sounds great, Lance,”

 

The pod opened and Allura moved aside. Lance carried Keith into the pod, pressing their lips together one more time before the door closed and the pod turned on.


	13. Spiderman

Keith was getting sick of having to pick up Lance’s messes. He would never stop doing it, of course, because he loved that idiot. But it was still frustrating to be roused in the middle of the night by Shiro shaking him awake saying Lance had been captured.

 

Honestly, Keith was losing the ability to even be surprised.

 

“Lance,” He whispered into his helmet as he slunk down the hallway, crouched low to the ground, “you owe me for this.”

 

Through his com, he could hear the sounds of the others fighting. He could hear the lazers and the tussle and he knew he needed to hurry. 

 

As if on cue, Shiro bit out, “Keith,  _ hurry _ . We can only hold them off for so long!”

 

“Roger.”

 

Keith crept along the hallway, grateful to find that most of the patrol had fallen for their distraction and gone off to fight the others. He was able to quickly take down the few remaining sentries and slip through the door waiting at the end. Once inside, he immediately noticed Lance, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling. He had his arms and legs tied together and was hovering just above the ground.

 

“How do you always end up in these situations?” Keith yelled as he entered the room slowly, searching his surroundings for any hostiles.

 

“Keith! You came for me!”

 

“Of course I did.” The room seemed clear so Keith lowered his bayard and rushed to Lance. “But I’d appreciate it if you stopped getting taken. I’m getting sick of having to rescue you.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes as Keith approached. “Yeah, yeah, just get me down, would you?”

 

Keith had every intention of cutting Lance down the moment he approached. He truly did. But as he walked up and noticed that Lance was at exactly the right height, well, he couldn’t resist himself. He cupped Lance’s upside down face and leaned in, giving the boy a kiss. Lance kissed back with a small, exasperated sigh.

 

“Really?”

 

“You know what? You’re right. I was going to say ‘how many times do I get this opportunity?’ but knowing you, you’ll be tied up again somewhere in a week.”

 

“Keith!”

 

He leaned in and pressed one more kiss to Lance’s lips before slicing through the rope that was holding him in one fell swoop. Lance hit the ground with a thud and grumbled as he wriggled out of the restraints.

 

“Now, c’mon spiderman, we’ve got a team to go help.”


	14. Side of the Head

Keith hadn’t been sleeping well. It wasn’t his usual sort of bad sleep, either. He wasn’t tossing and turning in bed, too hot when fully under the covers, too exposed when only partially under. He had been having nightmares--very vivid, terrible nightmares that lingered with him long after he woke. He would jolt up in bed, heart thundering in his chest, his body covered in sweat. His hands would shake, even hours later as he poured a cool glass of water.

 

Today, in particular, the lack of sleep was catching up to him. He was spacey and irritable--forgetting things and then snapping at the others when they pointed it out. He knew he was being unreasonable, but there was nothing he could do to fight the fogginess in his mind. He considered isolating himself, but it turned out he didn’t need to as everyone was steering clear of him. Even Lance.

 

He wanted to pretend that it didn’t hurt, but it did, even if he understood why. He knew it was a lose-lose situation; they avoided him and made him feel bad, or they stayed around him and had to deal with his sour mood. 

 

Too tired to train but too cranky to just sit, Keith had taken to angrily pacing the hallways of the castle. He had no real destination so he ended up sort of circling the same corridors over and over again.

 

“There you are!” Keith stopped at the sound of Lance’s voice. “I’ve been looking for you!”

 

An angry retort jumped to the tip of his tongue but he bit it back, scrubbing his hands along his face as he turned to look at Lance. “What’s up?”

 

“C’mere,” Lance stopped, opening his arms wide.

 

Keith wanted to pretend that he didn’t need the hug, but he did and Lance knew it, too. He took a few steps forward and leaned into Lance, burying his face in Lance’s neck. “You’ve been avoiding me all day.”

 

“I have been working on something for you,” Lance said softly. “Hopefully it will make you feel better.” He turned and planted a kiss on the side of Keith’s head before pulling away slightly. He snagged one of Keith’s hands, interlocking their fingers. “Want to see?”

 

Lance didn’t wait for Keith to respond before taking off down the hallway, dragging his grumpy boyfriend behind him. Keith stumbled the first few steps before he was able to catch up with Lance, falling in step with him. Lance glanced at him out of the side of his eyes and squeezed his hand as they approached the door to his room. Keith looked skeptically back at him and then the doors slid open and his breath was taken away.

 

Lance’s room was enveloped in blankets. He couldn’t see the bed or the desk or even the floor. Lance had created what could only be described as the best, most extravagant blanket fort in existence. The floor was piled with blankets for cushioning and he had draped blankets from every surface he could, creating the perfect canopy.

 

“You like?” He could feel Lance looking at him for his reaction. He nodded, eyes wide as he took in the sight before him, his bad mood dissolving rapidly. “There’s more.” 

 

They stepped into the room and Lance reached towards the light switch, flipping it on. Instead of the room lights turning on, twinkling fairy lights that he had draped into the canopy illuminated the room in a soft, almost magical glow. Keith kicked his boots off and padded across the blankets, ducking under the canopy so he could enter the blanket fort.

 

“I’ve never been in one of these,” He murmured as Lance followed him under the canopy and plopped down, leaning his back against some of the blankets he had piled up for them. Upon closer inspection, Keith was able to see that it was actually a mixture of pillows and blankets for maximum comfort.

 

“You haven’t?” Lance adjusted the pillows around him, propping them against the wall so Keith had a place to sit. Keith shook his head as he sat down next to Lance, leaning against the pillows.

 

He looked at Lance and couldn’t help but have his breath taken away. Lance looked so beautiful in the soft lighting; his edges seemed to blur, the light surrounding him like a halo. He looked like the angel Keith knew him to be. “Are they always this amazing?”

 

“No,” Lance scooted a little closer and pulled a blanket across both of their laps. “I made this one especially for a certain grumpy boyfriend.”

 

“I’m sorry I’ve been so harsh.” He said, even though he knew Lance wasn’t waiting for an apology. Because he was Lance--selfless, caring and understanding. He would never hold Keith’s mood against him. He was more than Keith thought he deserved, but he was so grateful to say that Lance was his anyways. He was touched that Lance had gone out of his way to do something like this. He tried to express that as best as he could. “Thank you. For this. For just, you know, being you.”

 

Lance leaned over, reaching an arm past Keith and under the blankets next to him. As he reached, he pressed another kiss to the side of Keith’s head. When he pulled back, he had a guitar in his hand that he had been hiding. “Last part of the surprise.”

 

They readjusted so that Lance was able to prop the guitar in his lap comfortably. Keith moved the small remaining distance between them and laid his head on Lance’s shoulder as he began strumming the opening notes. He loved when Lance played the guitar and sang, but he rarely did it. And he certainly didn’t do it in front of anyone other than Keith.

 

  


 

“What would I do without your smart mouth?” Lance began singing and Keith smiled to himself, settling further into his spot. Lance’s voice was honestly as perfect as the rest of him, but Keith couldn’t deny that he loved being the only one who got to see this side of Lance.

 

Lance strummed the notes slowly, singing the song beautifully and quietly, filling their blanket fort with the last magical element that it had been missing. Keith’s bad mood had long since faded away and he found himself warm and comfortable, cuddled up to his boyfriend in what could only be described as the perfect moment of bliss.

 

As Lance continued to play, Keith could feel his eyes slipping shut. Lance’s singing was like a lullaby, relaxing him until he couldn’t fight the sleep any longer. He briefly registered Lance kissing his head before he fell asleep.

 

When he woke up the next morning, tangled up in the blankets and in Lance, still on the floor in their blanket fort, Keith realized he had never slept better in his life. Lance woke, blinking groggily at him, only to be met with a tender kiss and a soft, “I love you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this one was inspired by my friend (and wife) and very very very talented artist Kait. She has been kind enough to let me base my fic off of her amazingly gorgeous artwork that you saw!
> 
> Please give her the love she deserves. Find her and her amazing art on tumblr @ just-a-fox-in-a-box or @ assemble-vld
> 
> I'll post the link directly to the gorgeous artwork once I get it. (She actually made it into the most amazing gif and you guys will be blessed when you see it)
> 
> Also, the acoustic version of All of Me that we chose for Lance to sing is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYUQW6RovY


	15. Cheek

Lance, of all the paladins, was the one everyone expected to be the most excited about all the interviews and photographs being taken of them. After all, Loverboy Lance loved to put on a good show. But the events of the past seemed to have changed him--softened him, almost. Keith could see now the way Lance’s priorities shifted. No longer did he care about pretty girls or big parades, he cared about the people closest to him. He cared exclusively for the people he would put his life on the line for and the ones who would do the same for him.

 

So, he quietly stood in line with the others, positioned at Keith’s right hand--exactly where he should be--and smiled for the cameras. He didn’t make a big fuss, didn’t demand for more, just obliged patiently to every request. Of course, he did get a few snide remarks in during the interviews. I mean, he was still  _ Lance _ , after all, just a matured version of Lance.

 

“Excuse me,” Lance was getting the attention of one of the photographers, his hand placed on Keith’s shoulder, rooting him to his spot. “Will you use this to take a picture of us?” He asked kindly, offering the man his cell phone.

 

The man took it, a bright smile on his face, clearly honored to be doing a personal request. Keith couldn’t help but smile a little in response. Leave it to Lance to always brighten people’s days and make them feel important.

 

“Take a photo with me?” Lance asked him then.

 

“Of course,” Keith took his arm back from Lance before throwing it around Lance’s shoulders and pulling them flush together. Lance responded by throwing his own arm around Keith’s shoulders and smiling big. The photographer was clicking away.

 

“This is the happiest I’ve seen either of you look!” The photographer commented casually.  


 

The comment struck Keith, though. It was true that he was happiest with Lance, he had never pretended otherwise. But was Lance happiest with him? The thought made his heart swell with love for Lance. He was sunshine personified--he lit up the entire universe and made a positive impact on the life of everyone he touched. He was pure happiness. He made every single one of Keith’s days better and the fact that he got to curl up next to him at the end of the day was nothing short of a dream come true for Keith.

 

The photographer was still snapping away, clearly having some fun. Keith turned, tightening his arm around Lance’s neck and pulling his face over. He planted a kiss firmly on Lance’s cheek, much to the surprise of both the photographer and Lance. He held that position for a few more clicks of the phone camera before pulling away. 

 

“That was amazing,” The photographer said, finally straightening up and handing Lance his phone back.

 

They thanked him and he moved along to finish what he was originally supposed to be doing. Lance pulled up the pictures on his phone and scrolled through them. Keith couldn’t stifle the laugh that bubbled up when Lance flipped to the first picture of Keith kissing his cheek. Lance’s eyes were wide and his mouth was open in this huge, cheesy grin. It was adorable. Hilarious, but still adorable.

 

Keith leaned in to press another kiss to his cheek as Lance tapped through his settings, changing that picture to his phone background.


	16. Neck

Lance had a habit of kissing Keith’s neck whenever he went to pull back from a hug. Which, since they had officially started dating, was, like, five times a day. Keith didn’t mind it--oh god no, he loved it. But sometimes it made it hard for him to focus after.

 

As usual, Lance planted a kiss right where Keith’s neck met his shoulder as Keith began to pull away from their hug. Only this time, it wasn’t just one kiss. It was another, a little higher. And then another, and another, all the way up until he was kissing along Keith’s jaw.

 

“Lance,” Keith breathed. Not because he didn’t like it, or because he didn’t want it, but because they were standing in the middle of the hallway. They had been hugging because they were about to go their separate ways for a few hours, both having tasks they needed to complete.

 

“Mm?” Lance hummed, kissing down his neck again.

 

“What are you doing?” Keith’s hands were on Lance’s shoulders in the perfect position to push the other boy away from him but he didn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to stop what was going on.

 

Lance pulled away on his own though and Keith frowned. “You're right, we have things to do.” He planted a quick kiss on Keith's lips before heading down the hallway. “I'll come to your room when I'm done!”

 

The walk down to the control room where he was supposed to be helping Coran with something was long, but not long enough. The butterflies weren't fully settled in his stomach yet and his head still felt a little foggy. He knew he would need to listen to Coran's instructions but his mind kept wandering back to Lance, no matter how much he tried to fight it.

 

“It's about time you got here!” Coran yelled as he walked through the door, even though he had never said _when_ he would come and help. “We need to start immediately if we're going to make the progress we need.”

 

He launched into some long-winded explanation about their task, getting sidetracked into no less than three personal stories. Keith, honestly, didn't even try to listen. He wasn't even pretending, either. He was staring over Coran's shoulder, eyes unfocused.

 

“Keith? Hello? Number four?”

 

Keith shook his head, focusing back on Coran. “I'm sorry, what were you saying?”

 

Coran sighed and then pointed at the door. “Go take care of whatever is distracting you. Number five should be finishing soon, she can come help me.”

 

He didn't wait to be told again, afraid Coran would change his mind. He threw a halfhearted apology over his shoulder as he basically ran through the door. He hustled through the hallways, trying his best to maintain some semblance of composure but he was pretty confident he was failing. He burst through the door to the bridge realizing as he came to an abrupt halt in front of Lance and Allura that he had no plan.

 

Lucky for him, Lance seemed to be expecting this. “Is it time already?” He asked calmly. He then turned to Allura. “We'll be back soon, it shouldn't take long.”

 

Allura waved an unconcerned hand, dismissing them. The two walked through the doors and back out into the hallway together. As soon as the doors shut, Lance pressed Keith up against them, lips immediately finding Keith's neck.

 

“ _God_ ,” He groaned between kisses, “You took so long, I thought you weren't coming back.”

 

“You were expecting me?”

 

“Are you kidding?” Lance pulled back and met his gaze, a smile on his lips, “That was the whole point. I didn't want to help Allura. And I'm sure you didn't want to help Coran.”

 

Keith wanted to be surprised that Lance had planned the whole thing, but he wasn't. Instead he just smiled back at Lance and said, “So, my room now, then?”


	17. Underwater (Waterfall)

Usually when the Paladins took a day off, they spent it on the Castle of Lions. It was nice, but it never truly felt like a day off because the castle only offered limited entertainment options. Because of this, Pidge, of all people, had petitioned hard to have their next day off on a nearby planet. Shiro was the first to back her up and the others quickly agreed. They didn't care which planet they went to, any change of scenery would be welcome. 

 

That being said, the planet they ended up on was spectacular. It was beautiful and luscious and the epitome of paradise. They had landed and practically walked off the ship and into the pool of water at the base of a waterfall. 

 

“Wow,” Hunk spun in a slow circle, taking in their surroundings and voicing everyone's opinions. “This place is amazing.”

 

“Good going, Pidge!” Lance cried, ruffling her hair. 

 

Pidge made a noise of protest and swatted Lance's hand away but she was smiling. They walked the very short distance to the waterfall in a group and then fanned out around the edge of the pool. The water was crystal clear and glistening. Even through the ripples the waterfall caused, they could see straight to the sandy bottom. The waterfall fell half into the pool and half onto a slightly elevated cliff at the edge of the pool. The mist in the air caught the light, forming a rainbow. 

 

Keith, surprisingly, was the first to take off his shoes, roll up his pants and wade out into the water. Hunk was quick to follow. 

 

“It feels amazing!” Hunk waved the others on, “Come join us!”

 

Pidge was already seated on the beach, tinkering on one of her many robotic projects. Allura was seated nearby Pidge, but her shoes were off and her hair was down as she relaxed in the sun. Lance wasted no time in stripping down to his boxers and scrambling up the rocks until he was next to where the water was hitting. 

 

“Cannonball!” He yelled, although it gave the others no time to react. He hit the water, the splash soaking both Keith and Hunk. 

 

He emerged from the water only to immediately receive two splashes directly to the face. Keith and Hunk exchanged a fist bump at a job well done. They exited the water after and shed their wet layers until they, too, were only in boxers and then returned to the water. Shiro had settled on the rocks near the waterfall, legs dangling into the water. 

 

He watched from his perch on the rocks, a smile on his face, as the three boys in the water swam around, splashing each other and laughing. It was nice to see them having fun and to hear Pidge occasionally chiming in from the sidelines. 

 

“Lance, your aim is terrible!” Keith cried, easily maneuvering out of the way of Lance's splash. 

 

“It is not!” He replied indignantly. 

 

Pidge piped up, laughing. “It really is, Lance!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Lance directed his next splash at the shore, aiming for Pidge. He soaked Allura instead. Everyone laughed. 

 

“We're just lucky your aim with a gun is good,” Shiro commented and Lance smiled. 

 

The splashing died down then, but it was mostly because Hunk had latched onto the idea of doing his own cannonball from the ledge and was scrambling up it. Keith and Lance followed, the three of them lining up behind Shiro. Hunk, in an act of sheer bravery, took the dive at a running start. The splash he made rippled out across the water for a few moments before his face broke the surface.

 

Keith and Lance moved together, past where Shiro was and where Hunk had jumped from, to stand behind the falls. The water cascaded against the rocks, splashing them and causing them to cling tightly to the rock wall behind them. They were already soaked, and it was a good thing because even keeping tight to the rocks couldn’t save them from having some of the water fall straight onto their heads. 

 

“Hey,” Lance said, looking at Keith. Keith glanced back. “This is pretty romantic, right?”

 

Keith laughed, conceding, "It is." 

 

Lance laughed with him for a moment before taking two steps into the water and pulling Keith flush against his chest. He leaned down to kiss Keith, the cool water pouring over their entire bodies.

 

“You know I can still see you,” Shiro commented.

 

“Are they kissing?” Pidge yelled from the shore. They assumed Shiro confirmed because she followed it up with a good natured, “Gross!”

 

Ignoring them, Keith adjusted, turning slightly so he had his back to the wall and Lance had his back to the cliff, their lips still locked. After a moment, he pulled away and shoved Lance before anything could be said. Lance tumbled off the cliff and into the water below, Keith jumping off a moment later with a laugh echoing in the air behind him.


End file.
